SALMON FISHING WITH THE FLY 217 
THE ‘CLARET JAY.’ 
Tag: Silver twist and light yellow silk. 
Tail: A topping, scarlet ibis, and gelling, 
Butt: Black herl. 
Body: Two turns light red-claret silk, the rest claret seal’s fur, 
“Ribbed : Silver tinsel. 
Flackle: Claret. 
Throat: Jay. 
Wings: Teal, tippet, and florican; light mottled turkey, parrot, 
golden pheasant tail, gallina, and dark bustard ; swan dyed light yellow, 
yellow-green (or powdered blue), yellow and claret; with two strips 
mallard above. 
Sides: Yellow macaw and ibis, in married stripy 
fforns: Blue macaw, 
Head. Black herl. 
The Claret Jay is the best known and most popular of the ‘jay set.’ 
In rivers where medium-sized flies are used the ‘ Claret,’ as it is generally 
termed, kills as well as anything. There is one variety of it that may be 
mentioned having yellow seal’s fur instead of light red-claret silk on the 
body, but the description given is that of the original dressing. 
These three sombre patterns—the Black and Claret Jays and the Dirty 
Orange—are more suitable for medium sized rivers, and although they are 
rarely tied on very large hooks, there are plenty of flats, streams, nooks, 
and corners in our largest rivers where I am satisfied they could be tried 
with considerable success on hooks up to, say, No. z. 
